Electron-phonon interactions and the breakdown of the dissipationless quantum Hall effect

Abstract

The quantum Hall effect is manifested by plateaus in the Hall conductivity at which the current flows without loss. Recently it has been observed that as the current is increased to a critical value, corresponding to a carrier drift velocity of the order of the speed of sound, there is a dramatic onset of dissipation. We investigate the role in the breakdown of phonon-assisted transitions between Landau levels and calculate the steady-state power absorption. As the drift velocity of the carriers is increased there is a sudden onset of dissipation, and an upper limit for the critical current is obtained.